The Beginning of the End
by thersch22
Summary: As the Marauders enter their fifth year, tensions grow between two houses and love blossoms in the air. But, when Remus, James, Sirius, and Peter are finalizing their Animagi practice, they discover a secret that could not only jeopardize their lives, but that of Hogwarts and the muggle world. Just a little Marauders Era what if/side story like tale. Enjoy!


Chapter One

_First, I do not own or are related to the characters/plot/etc. in relation to JK Rowling or the Harry Potter Franchise. I am only a lover of the series and one who wishes to add my own spin on things and let you lovely readers have a chance to see into a spin in the story. Second of all, thank you for choosing to read this! I haven't written a fanfic in a long time, and really appreciate it. Third of all, this is going to be a "what if" in the Marauders era, so please don't shoot down my ideas and opinions on what could've been. I just want to have a little in-depth look into the lives of the Marauder era and have some fun with it. Thank you, lovelies!_

"Remus…"

It was just a little murmur. Something barely audible, but alerted the teenager's cognitive progress enough to stir him for the morning. His eyes, a dull but beautiful green, opened half way to see James Potter sitting on the side of his unmade bed. Sulking up, Remus Lupin slid to the top of his mattress and wiped the sleepiness from his eyes. It was only until opening his eyes that he noticed what James was so concerned about; a cut about three inches long on his forearm began to slowly ooze. Sighing, the fifteen year old crept out of bed and walked to grab his wand.

"Tergeo," Remus muttered. The crusty as well as freshly draw blood swirled into the wand, disappearing from the surface of his arm. The laceration then began to close together, weaving skin and cells to make a clot, leaving only a thin, transient scar. From all of his injuries at the peak of his lycanthropy, he began to become fluent in healing spells. Sighing, the boy looked at his clock: 3:54 am.

"Peter, Sirius, and I just saw you come in. It must've been bad tonight," James whispered, noticing the other boys in the Gryffindor dormitory begin to stir with the growing noise.

"It was nothing, James," Remus meekly smiled, "you always go assume everything's bad because you're worried about me. I swear, you call me the overprotective one, but the moment I get into any trouble or go through… this… you get all paranoid."

With a scoff, James turned up his nose in retort and looked out the window.

"I'm sure Sirius and I will be almost perfect this next time. I mean, Peter _might_, but I don't want to get ahead of anything. Besides, I don't want you to be in pain and alone anymore. Bloody hell, I mean we already have to cover enough with the Shrieking Shack, I swear!"

"Shh. You'll wake everyone up."

"Tomorrow, would you like to go…? I mean, down to one of the bathrooms or out in the forest to practice?" James asked, putting on his glasses. His hair, dark as pitch and even messier from his sleeping than what it was in reality, was sticking out on either side of his ears due to his oddly-shaped glasses. He still was getting used to them, only receiving them at the beginning of the school year four months ago. It always made Remus laugh, and leavened the night tension the two were having.

"Uh, sure. We can talk about it tomorrow morning, a'ight?" James nodded, and collided with his pillow in his usual overdramatic style. Remus appreciated the humor James put in front of him. Although he was slowly become less cocky and more of a suitable person, it gave Remus an opportunity to forget what happens every month and the connection that grew between the two teenagers was inseparable. As the boys fell asleep, they both thought of the goal James had mentioned. For the past three years at Hogwarts, they had been attempted to become successful Animagi. Through the morbid false starts and grotesque endings that come with trial and error, James' stag, Sirius' dog, and Peter's rat (something that always led to Sirius snorting up milk in the morning when some of the Gryffindor girls mentioned a rat in the common room to McGonagall) had reached its ultimatum. Tomorrow night would be the test to see if the years of inside-out transformations were worth Remus' happiness and Madame Pomfrey a night's rest.

The next morning came sooner than later, allowing for Remus to gain his energy back, enough time to heal his cuts, and the time to finish his potions work for the day's class. After waking late, he ran down to the dining hall, nearly getting scolded by a cranky Flitwick who nearly spilled his pumpkin juice from contact with Lupin's seemingly flying robes. Jumping down stairs three at a time, he managed to reach the Gryffindor table with only a smirk from Dumbledore.

Heaving, Remus threw his books and wand on the table and lunged at a currant Chelsea bun, something everyone except Lily Evans despised. Sirius rolled his eyes, gagging his tongue and grabbing a piece of parchment paper to write his finishing works for their first class on Tuesday mornings, Charms. James, clearing his throat gained the Marauders' attention as soon as most of the classmates went on to class.

"So, about tonight, what's the plan?" James remarked, slowly glancing at Lily Evans. Remus noticed he had been doting to her every look, style, attitude, and comment more than usual. He had been ruffing up his hair more after Quidditch practice, just to get a snarky comment or a flirtatious remark. Sirius rolled his eyes and shoved a bit of bacon in his face. "Can it, Sirius!"

"Bloody hell, mate, I'm just messing with you. Anyways, I figure that we get out of the hall a little early to go to Hagrid's hut. He can then help us get into the forest, and we can practice. Moony can look on, tell us how we're doing, and yada yada, you know? I'm sure we'll be fine. That way we can focus on the other project, ya know?" Sirius spoke like a true teenager: cocky, fast, and with a purpose.

"What if we don't get out on time…?" Peter, the pessimist of the group, muttered, propping himself up on the table more to make his height a bit less inferior to the others. James laughed, pushing him down a bit out of kidding pleasure.

"Don't be so soppy, Peter. We'll make it. I'm sure of it. I-I mean we didn't last time _BUT_ I know we will this time. Besides, I have the cloak this time; just make sure I don't forget it this time, Wormtail-"

"Got it."

Remus rolled his eyes at his friends, smirking as they grabbed their supplies and made their way to charms. Remus, succeeding in almost all of his classes, had ease with the subject, but it was one of James' worst. This always gave him anxiety knowing Lily would be looking at him and rolling her "beautifully gorgeous wonderful sexy ohmygoodness" eyes, as James put it. Flitwick looked at the four disapproving as they walked in late. It brought embarrassment to Remus and Peter, but Sirius and James embraced it, making it match their bad boy appearance.

"Good morning, class." Flitwick aimed this at both the Gryffindors as well as the Slytherins. This is what the group called a bad case of irony. The teenager that most hurt the group and rubbed wrong against James was in Slytherin, Severus Snape. With his greasy black hair or his slightly crooked nose, or the way he smelt when he began to have nervous sweats in front of Lily, his childhood friend and love, it gave James anger, and a reason for Remus to talk with James about something rather than his lycanthropy.

"Today we are going to review your basic spells, most of this will be on your upcoming OWLs soon, and we know how forward you all are looking forward to that!" A collective groan was heard throughout the room, bringing a sarcastic smile to Flitwick's face as he grabbed his wand. "Now, who can tell me the purpose of the spell, Portus?"

Immediately, Lily's hand rose, bringing a blushed smile to both James and Severus' face.

"The Portus spell is for the creation of portkeys. Um, I believe the light is blueish, and we can't perform it because it requires permission, but someday, I suppose, Professor." A smile beamed on Flitwick's face as he whispered "Wingardium Leviosa" to levitate a small chocolate frog to Lily. The little man had taken up the habit of sweets to alleviate the pressure from OWLs testing.

"Look, Remus. I'm going to make you proud," James muttered to Remus, dodging in front of Sirius. Sirius stared, confused.

"Oh gosh, Prongs, what are you doing?!" Remus and Sirius whispered. Peter, unknowing as usual, just sat and giggled to himself at the thought of James making a practical joke for someone.

Flitwick, who grew accustomed to James' tomfoolery, continued on to the next question, this time aiming it to the Slytherin side of the room.

"Now, what is the purpose of the spell, Slugulus Eructo?"

James, beaming a ray of hatred and confidence towards Severus, raised a hand. Flitwick did a double take and hesitantly called on Potter, grabbing a bucket in case he meant to use the spell.

"Professor, it is the slug vomiting charm. This causes the person to vomit slugs. It's pretty nasty, I suppose." James gave a wink at Lily, whose pale complexion caused her to blush uncontrollably.

"Uh, that's right, Mr. Potter. Would anyone like to give me the duration of this-"

"Ten minutes, Professor." This came from Severus, who gave a smile to Lily and a deathly glare to James. Remus put his hand on James' shoulder out of warning, but James shrugged it off, challenging Severus.

"Correct, Mr. Snape, but next time allow to be called on-"

"Professor, give me another question. I'm quizzing myself." James remarked, crossing his arms and placing his wand underneath.

"Mr. Potter-"

"James, don't you dare-"

"Hush, mother," James chided to Remus and Sirius. Sirius, although concerned, began to laugh and rolled his eyes. James was avoiding that fact that he was jeopardizing their chances of finalizing their Animagi. Although Remus warned him ahead of time about things like this, James' natural hotheaded nature and dislike for Severus took precedence.

The debate of questions alternated between Severus and James as fast as Flitwick could throw them at them, making not only Remus, Sirius, Peter, and Lily concerned for the rivalry, but Flitwick as well and the other Gryffindor and Slytherin students, who consciously looked at the clock and at the two fifteen year olds glowing red faces. The two boys went on until the end of the period, finally out of breath and equally furious at each other. Flitwick nervously dismissed the class, leaving Severus against the Marauders in one of the empty corridors by the charms classroom.

"Can't handle a little competition, Potter?" Severus snarled, exposing his wand in self-defense. "Maybe you should take note, Lupin. This is the type of potential you could reach, the amount to challenge even the great Mr. James Potter."

"Severus, this isn't something to be rash about-"Remus tried to reason, but James interrupted, much to Sirius smirking.

"Oh, is it Snevilus?" James laughed with Sirius and Peter. "Maybe this is the face of a true wizard who could maybe win over Lily Evans. Not like you and your stringy hair and your bribed Death Eater friends."

"Piss off, Potter!" Severus snarled, turning beet red and his anger growing. "I do not WANT Lily Evans, okay? She's just a useless mudblood! You're just a pathetic, poor excuse for a pure blood wizard, Potter! SLUGULUS ERUCTO!" Severus cast the charm at James, but Remus stepped in front of James to take the beam. As soon as the spell hit Remus, the teenager's skin grew whiter and pastier, soon running out of the corridor to the main stairs.

"SNEVILUS, YOU WANKER!" Sirius shouted, running after the vomiting Remus. James snarled.

"You know more than I do about Lily, and you know pretty damn well that she is more than what her blood type shows her. How dare you even call her that, you sick excuse of a human being? I may be a poor excuse for a pure blood, but I'm a lot damn better than you." Running off after Remus, Severus sighed, a tear dripping down his cheek in embarrassment.

"You'll pay, Potter," he murmured to himself. "You'll pay. I swear it."

Another grey-green slug erupted violently from Remus' pale lips, protruding right underneath the small scar on his lip. It came out and plopped into the bucket in the Gryffindor common room. Sirius gagged as he emptied the bucket into the fire and brought it back in time to catch a trail of mucus popping out from Remus' mouth.

"That arse. That stupid, ignorant, jealous, bloody hellish-"

"Jbuames, dwonst shtarht wshit meh," Remus enunciated as a slug made its way into the bucket.

"But, Remus. The audacity to say something like that."

"He didn't even get caught!" Sirius added, aiming the bucket to Remus' lips instead of on the floor. "He needs to be caught.

"James, lweaeve wit. Wi-"Another slug spit out. "Gosh, that's gross. It's been ten minutes, so hopefully, oh no. Nope." One more slug came out and Remus waited until it was finished to continue speaking. "Just leave it. Severus-"

"Snevilus-"

"Stop. He's just confused. Let's just let it be. We still have to figure out tonight. And don't you dare say anything to Lily, you hear, Potter?" James nodded, and the four went out to the dining hall.

After a short dinner, one by one the group left and managed to escape the wrath of professors and other students with the help of the Invisibility Cloak. James always noted his gratitude to his ancestors for allowing the cloak to belong to them. As they made it past Hagrid's hut, Hagrid had already heard of the plan from Sirius, allowing for him to leave two lanterns and a whistle in case something wrong happened. Smiling from underneath the cloak, the four ventured into the forest to their usual clearing.

It was just about a half a mile or so into the forest, and it was a small clearing. Unknown to most except for Hagrid and the occasional Lily that James would smuggle out to impress, the Marauders took advantage of the clearing and high roots for a good place to sit and practice. With the moon just bright enough to not be a full moon, it was safe enough for the group to convene together. But, that night was different. As soon as the four made it to the spot, Remus noticed unfamiliar bodies. It was the centaurs. Sirius gasped, alerting the convention.

"Why are you here, human?" The tall one asked, his dark black and blue speckled eyes spoke anger and frustration.

"Don't say anything, they didn't do anything. They're the animal learners," the other centaur stated. He seemed to be the peaceful leader, but bold enough to defy the taller centaur.

"We can't trust anyone. Not anyone, especially stranger humans."

"W-what's wrong, sir…? Should I call you sir or-" Remus tried to speak, but the tall one interrupted.

"See? They have no common courtesy for us or anyone. Besides, they could work for it."

"It?!"

_Okay, this is the end of chapter one. I'm sorry if it's super bad. I haven't written in a while, and I hope someone saw this and liked it. If you do, please review, favorite, or follow! I'm sure to write more in the coming days/week._


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